


Caught

by TheManOfManyFandoms



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Bisexual Disaster Sokka (Avatar), Gay Zuko (Avatar), Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Lesbian Toph Beifong (Background), M/M, Ozai (Avatar) Being a Terrible Parent, Past Child Abuse, So does Sokka, Sokka is a dumbass, Swordbending ;), That tag is always applicable, Toph Beifong and Zuko are Siblings, Unreliable Narrator, Zuko (Avatar) Angst, Zuko (Avatar) Needs a Hug, Zuko deserves so much love, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, Zuko is oblivious, the author desperately wants a sword and it might show
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:53:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25256464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheManOfManyFandoms/pseuds/TheManOfManyFandoms
Summary: “Sokka seems almost startled and a bit guilty, before he relaxes again and says, his voice very soft, “Oh. Yeah, it’s gorgeous.” He sighs, before shaking his head and turning to face Zuko with a lopsided smile.The ex-prince feels his chest seize and wonders briefly if he’s having a heart attack. What the hell was that? he thinks, a little panicked. Abruptly, he realizes that Sokka is talking and blurts out, “I’m sorry, I- I zoned out. What were you saying?”Sokka laughs a little. “I was just asking how it is teaching Aang how to breath,” he explains.Zuko’s snort of laughter is more than a little forced but, hey, in his defense, he’s still a bit worried that he’s about to keel over from a heart attack.”
Relationships: Hakoda & Zuko (Avatar), Sokka & Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), The Gaang & Zuko (Avatar), Toph Beifong & Sokka, Toph Beifong & Zuko
Comments: 361
Kudos: 1373





	1. Midnight Conversations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko can’t sleep and neither can Sokka. They try to get to know eachother to pass the time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here’s the Zukka fic I promised ya’ll like a week ago! I hope you all enjoy!

Zuko can’t sleep. That’s not to say he isn’t absolutely exhausted, but death threats tend to put him a bit on edge. It’s been a few days since he had been allowed to join the group and nobody has tried to hurt him yet, but, if he’s being perfectly honest, he’s terrified that Katara will try to kill him in his sleep, regardless of what the Avatar had said.

Finally, after hours of rolling around restlessly, he huffs to himself before sliding out of bed and heading to the courtyard they seem to be using as a base camp. He sits down quietly, dangling his feet off the edge and staring down into the abyss. It seems like a lifetime ago that he had stood in this very spot with his uncle. Back then, he was thirteen and angry at the world. Now, he’s sixteen and just so _tired_. 

He sits there, staring listlessly into the void and trying to stop thinking, for what seems like an age when a quiet voice startles him, “Hey, mind if I join you?” Zuko jumps and whips around to locate the source of the words. ”Woah, you good? Did you not hear me or something? I thought I was being pretty loud.”

Zuko grimaces, ducking his head so he doesn’t have to meet Sokka’s eyes. Between his sleep-deprivation and Sokka approaching him from the left, he must not have been able to detect the Water Tribe boy. “Er, I guess I’m just bit tired,” he offers up as a lame excuse and, by the way Sokka’s eyebrows furrow, the other didn’t quite believe it.

Instead of responding, Sokka sits down a few feet away from Zuko, luckily on his good side, and swings his own legs over the edge. ”So,” he starts, drawing the vowel out, “What are you doing out here so late?”

”I could ask you the same question,” Zuko points out, and instantly cringes at the defensiveness of the statement. 

”Couldn’t sleep.” The answer is short but it _is_ an answer and that alone is enough to catch Zuko off guard.   
  
“Oh, um, me neither,” Zuko admits softly, still not quite looking at Sokka.

Maybe Sokka notices the firebender’s discomfort, because he looks away, staring up into the night sky. “I woke up and then I couldn’t get my brain to stop,” he says, “You too?”

”Yeah, something like that,” Zuko agrees. He notices that Sokka’s gaze is fixed on the bright, almost full, moon above them and hesitates for a moment before saying, “It’s beautiful tonight.”

”Huh?” Sokka seems almost startled and a bit guilty, before he relaxes again and says, his voice very soft, “Oh. Yeah, it’s gorgeous.” He sighs, before shaking his head and turning to face Zuko with a lopsided smile.

The ex-prince feels his chest seize and wonders briefly if he’s having a heart attack. _What the hell was that?_ He thinks, a little panicked. Abruptly, he realizes that Sokka is talking and blurts out, “I’m sorry, I- I zoned out. What were you saying?”

Sokka laughs a little. “I was just asking how it is teaching Aang how to breath,” he explains.

Zuko’s snort of laughter is more than a little forced but, hey, in his defense, he’s still a bit worried that he’s about to keel over from a heart attack. “It’s not _that_ bad,” he lies. At the look on Sokka’s face, he sighs and says, “Okay, it _is_ that bad. He’s way too timid,” he huffs a real laugh this time.

His amusement fades and he cringes a little as he remembers how pissed Katara had been when he had offhandedly mentioned to her and Toph that Aang was too timid with fire. He hopes that Sokka won’t be mad. Logically, Zuko knows that he deserves any harsh words they throw his way, but he doesn’t think he’d be able to handle the Water Tribe boy’s anger right now.

“H-he’s trying really hard, though, and we should be able to move on to actual firebending soon,” he hastens to add, dropping his gaze again.

Sokka is quiet for a moment before saying, “He’s been really scared to firebend ever since he burned Katara. I know it must be hard to understand being wary around flames, but just- be nice to the kid about it.”

Zuko laughs bitterly, looking up at the other boy, “Trust me. I understand.” He sees Sokka’s eyes widening a bit in realization, as they flick to his scar. Zuko turns his head away sharply. “I’m going to bed,” he says brusquely.

He starts to get to his feet but freezes, flinching a bit, when Sokka puts a hand on his arm. “Look, I’m sorry,” the warrior says hastily, “I wasn’t thinking. I should have realized.”

Zuko hesitates for a long moment, his eyes meeting Sokka’s. He looks sincere, but it’s not as if Zuko has the best track record with calling people’s bluffs. _Azula always lies_ , he thinks bitterly. In the end, he decides that he’s too tired to be suspicious, so he sits back down, staring down at his lap, and mutters, “It’s fine. I overreacted. Sorry.”

He can feel Sokka’s gaze on him and looks up sharply. Sokka flushes a little and looks away. “We should get to know eachother,” he suggests, “maybe ask eachother a few questions.”

“Like what?” Zuko asks warily.

”Like... what’s your favorite animal?” Sokka questions brightly, scooting a little closer to the firebender.

”Turtleducks,” Zuko answers, relaxing a little. “What about you?”

”My reasoning for this one is actually a bit of a long story, but baby Sabertooth Moose Lions,” he answers with a quiet laugh, “I named one Foo Foo Cuddly Poops.”

Zuko lets out a small, surprised laugh. “I- that’s a, um, fascinating name,” he smirks a little.

”That little guy loved me for some reason. Probably the closest I’ve ever come to having my own pet,” Sokka’s smile is fond and Zuko, to his horror and confusion, feels his face flush. “What about you? I bet you could have loads of pets, being a prince.”

Zuko shakes his head, “Not really. There’s a pond in a courtyard of the palace and the turtleducks there were the closest things I had to pets.”

”What? Are royalty too good for cute animal companions?” Sokka snorts.

”No, more like my father knew that a pet would distract me from my lessons too much. I already wasn’t a very good student at, well, _anything_. Besides, Azula probably would have killed any animal I got too attached to,” he says, sighing a little and shaking his head. He suddenly realizes that Sokka looks _horrified_ and feels a slight flutter of panic. Had he said something wrong? “Uh, s-sorry,” he stammers.

“No, no. Don’t be sorry. It’s just- you do know that that’s, like, _super_ messed up, right?”

Zuko feels a bit trapped under Sokka’s worried gaze so he ducks his head. “Oh, right,” he mumbles, “y-yeah, I know it is. But I feel like that’s kind of minor on the scale of messed up things about my life, you know?”

Sokka doesn’t speak for a moment and, when he does speak, his voice is softer, “Do you want to hear the story of Foo Foo Cuddly Poops?”

“Sure,” Zuko agrees, stifling a yawn, as Sokka scoots even closer.

“Okay, so I was hunting, right? And I saw this little creature and I thought it was cute, but we were hungry so I was still going to kill it, but then-” As Sokka rambles, Zuko feels his eyes slipping shut occasionally. It starts being harder and harder to keep them open, and he feels himself slipping sideways. Sokka’s voice is strangely soothing and the silly voice he’s using to personify the baby Sabertooth Moose Lion makes Zuko smile, even in his exhaustion.

Finally, his eyes slip shut again and, this time, he can’t get them to open again. He feels himself fall against something soft, and then he’s dead to the world.

He wakes up briefly and, to his own surprise, he's back in his own bed with a blanket carefully draped over him. He smiles to himself as he falls back to sleep, thinking of blue eyes and crooked smiles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you enjoyed go ahead and drop some kudos and a comment! Gods, I sound like a youtuber lol


	2. Swordbending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sokka and Zuko admire eachother’s swords before sparring. Wait... not like that!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is where the “author desperately wants a sword” tag applies. Seriously. Hmu if you have a sword I can “borrow”. Jkjk...unless.

Sokka is determined to hang out with Zuko again. The day after their midnight conversation, Zuko and Aang had gone on a field trip to improve their firebending and came back spouting spiritual mumbo-jumbo. Because of this, they haven’t had time to talk any further. “Zuko!” Sokka calls from across the sparring area, “You. Me. Swordbending duel.”

Zuko looks over at him, an unimpressed expression on his face. “ _Swordbending_?” He asks, looking completely nonplussed. 

“Yeah! You all have your fancy bending and I... don’t. So... swordbending!” Sokka explains, displaying space sword.

Something on Zuko’s face shifts at the sight of it. “Where did you _get_ that?” He asks, barely masking the excitement in his tone, “I’ve never seen a sword like that! Did someone _give_ it to you, or did you make it? And, if you did, where did you get the material?” He walks forwards, hands stretched out, as if to grab the handle, before he jerks them back suddenly, “S-sorry.”

”For what?” Sokka asks, tilting his head confusedly.

”I... you probably don’t want to answer all of my stupid questions,” Zuko mumbles, suddenly fascinated with studying the ground between them.

Sokka feels his heart clench, just a little, and says, “Zuko, I really don’t mind. I’m glad someone else here thinks swords are as cool as I think they are.”

Zuko looks up, smiling shyly, and Sokka suddenly feels as if the breath has been stolen from his lungs. Sunlight is hitting Zuko’s golden eyes, making them even more piercing and wolf-like, and his black hair is shining in the bright light. Sokka, realizing he’s probably been staring, looks away hastily, feeling heat rise to his face. He coughs once, firmly thinks, _NOPE_ , and stumbles on with the conversation.

“C-can I...” Zuko makes another aborted movement towards the sword and Sokka smiles at him as he hands the sword over.

Zuko holds it almost reverently, studying the carefully crafted, ebony blade. “It really _is_ beautiful,” he informs Sokka.

”Thanks! Oh, and to answer your question? I made it myself,” Sokka smirks.

Zuko looks away from the blade to give Sokka an equally awe-struck look, “It’s amazing. Where the hell did you get material like this?”

”A meteor fell and we used it for the sword,” Sokka explains, shrugging.

”That’s really cool,” Zuko breathes. He looks more excited and open than Sokka has ever seen him and, suddenly, it hits him that he wishes Zuko could be like this more often. If he’s being honest, it’s kind of sad that Zuko’s so nervous and sad all of the time.

”So, what do you say?” Sokka asks, “Will ye face me in noble combat?” He asks, in an overly dramatized tone.

Zuko suppresses a giggle behind his hand, before he responds, “Okay. We can spar.”

”Cool! Can I see your swords? Aang says they’re really cool.”

Zuko blushes a little, as he snatches them from where they’re waiting on the side of the practice area. “They’re pretty standard dao swords. So... not _that_ cool.” He holds them up for Sokka to take.

” _I_ think they’re cool,” Sokka says, looking up a little, in time to see Zuko turn red again. “What’s the story behind them? Where’d you get them?”

”Uh,” Zuko mumbles something, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

”What was that?” Sokka asks, smirking a little.

”I, um, kinda, maybe, stole them from this asshat who harassed my uncle in the Earth Kingdom,” Zuko admits awkwardly.

Sokka can’t stop his face from splitting into a wide grin, “That’s badass, man.”

”Wh-what?” Zuko says, clearly shocked.

“Hey, I can appreciate stealing from rich assholes. Toph, Aang, and I pulled some _great_ scams for that purpose,” Sokka smirks in a self-satisfied way.

Zuko returns the smile, it’s crooked and a little awkward, but so, so genuine. Sokka feels his own smile soften for a moment, before he clears a throat loudly and says, “Alright. Swordbending. Whoever yields first loses, does that sound good?”   
  
“Yeah, that sounds great,” Zuko confirms, taking his swords back and readying his stance. 

Sokka springs first, bringing his sword down, only to be blocked by both of Zuko’s. They parry each other’s blows, ducking and slicing, for quite a while, until Zuko starts to fall backwards. Sokka opens his mouth to gloat, only to be cut off by Zuko hooking his foot around his ankle and bringing Sokka down with him. 

They land heavily, Sokka on top of Zuko, and both freeze. Sokka looks into Zuko’s golden eyes and feels heat rushing to his face, not as obviously, however, as the bright red tinge on Zuko’s pale face.

He scrambles to get off of Zuko, who still seems frozen. “I, uh, s-sorry. I sh-shouldn’t have- um,” Zuko stutters unintelligibly.

Sokka smiles a little, grabbing his hand and helping him to his feet. “You’re an awkward, little turtleduck, you know? Cute though,” he says absentmindedly, chuckling.

“I’m- wh-what?” Zuko stammers.

Sokka feels his cheeks heating up again and releases Zuko’s hand, “Uh, s-sorry. I’m not sure where that came from.”

”N-no, don’t apologize. It’s not- I mean- I’m not- it’s, uh, it’s fine,” Zuko stutters out, not quite meeting Sokka’s eyes. “You’re, uh, cute too,” he mumbles.

”Oh, I- uh, thanks,” Sokka stammers, feeling a bit flustered himself, now.

”Uh, good spar?” Zuko asks, sticking a hand out for Sokka to shake.

”Yeah, good- good spar,” Sokka smiles. He turns and freezes when he sees Toph and Aang both smirking mischievously.

”Aw, you two are _so_ cute,” Aang dramatically puts a hand to his heart.

”For the love of Oma and Shu, get a room, you two,” Toph rolls her eyes.

”We are _not_ cute,” Zuko glowers.

”Oh, _really_ ,” Toph levels an unimpressed stare in their general direction, “Well then, I guess I’m _deaf_ as well as blind, because I could have sworn that you just called eachother cute.”

”We- ugh,” Zuko gives up on arguing and stomps off.

”Thanks for that, Toph,” Sokka says conversationally.

”You’re welcome,” she responds cheerfully, “now fuck off, Snoozles, Twinkletoes and I need to practice.”

Sokka flips her off as he leaves, before remembering that she can’t _see_ and promptly facepalming. “Well, that went just great,” he groans, flopping down on the ground, near the spot where they keep their campfire.

”What happened?” Katara asks from where she had been cooking lunch. In answer, Sokka just groans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed! Feel free to drop some feedback!


	3. Pretty Clouds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The balloon ride to Boiling Rock happens and Zuko and Sokka forget how to People.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can someone please tell me how to stop seeing “swords” “sword fighting” and “swordbending” as innuendoes 😂 I might have projected it onto Sokka a bit lmao

“Pretty clouds.”

“Yeah... fluffy...” Zuko cringes at the stilted conversation and sees Sokka do the same out of the corner of his eye. The two had been avoiding eachother for the last couple of days, ever since the disastrous swordbending incident. And since when had Zuko decided to go along with _that_ name?

Regardless, Zuko hasn’t been able to stop thinking about Sokka’s blue eyes and awkward laughter and just hopes it doesn’t show on his face. Unfortunately for him, however, Sokka seems to really like touching people and it’s not _Zuko’s_ fault his face feels like it’s on fire whenever the Water Tribe boy touches his arm.

“So... uh, what do you for fun?” Sokka asks awkwardly, after a few minutes of excruciatingly awkward conversation, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Nothing,” Zuko answers automatically, thinking uncomfortably of a very similar conversation on his first, and only, date with Jin. He and Jin had remained friends, right up until they couldn’t, but they just hadn’t worked as anything more.

“Really?” Sokka seems surprised, “I was under the impression you enjoyed sword fighting quite a bit.” For some reason he looks embarrassed by his wording and clears his throat awkwardly.

“Oh, um, yeah. I enjoy swords and, uh, fighting with them,” Zuko silently curses his inability to form coherent sentences around people, ~~who he finds attractive.~~

“Same here,” Sokka offers with a little smile that makes Zuko’s heart skip a beat, “Do you like anything that isn’t fighting? I like...” he pauses, his face falling a little, “ _liked_ to go ice fishing.”

Zuko hesitates for a long moment before very quietly saying, “I liked the theater.” Neither of them ask what had stopped them from enjoying their hobbies. They both already know.

“That sounds fun,” Sokka says softly, after a pause.

“My mother used to take me, before-” Zuko closes his mouth very abruptly and ducks his head self-consciously.

Sokka chooses not to comment and instead says, “My dad would take me ice fishing all the time before he- before he left. It was something of him I could hold onto after he left, you know?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I think I do,” Zuko rasps, “I wasn’t- I mean... I didn’t have the time to go to the theater any more after my mom...left.”

“How old were you?” Sokka asks, after another pregnant pause.

“Ten... you?”

“Thirteen.”

“Fuck,” Zuko sighs quietly.

“Agreed,” Sokka chuckles bitterly, leaning back against the edge of the balloon, “I get why he left but... it was hard not to hate him at the time.”

“I didn’t know why she left for a long time,” Zuko admits softly, “I understand now, but- but for the longest time I thought that she just finally got sick of me... like everybody _always_ does eventually.”

Sokka looks at him, a quiet sadness in his eyes, “ _I’m_ not going to get sick of you.”

“I appreciate that, Sokka,” Zuko says stiffly, not really believing a word of it, “I’m not going to get sick of you either.”

Sokka suddenly laughs and the abruptness of the sound almost makes Zuko flinch. “What a tender moment,” he says sarcastically and Zuko frowns.

“I thought it was nice of you,” he mutters defensively.

Sokka’s whole face softens and Zuko feels himself going red. “You’re adorable, you know,” The non-bender informs him with a soft smile. 

Zuko blushes furiously and ducks his head again. “Well, _you’re_ the one with the pretty eyes,” he counters, before freezing, eyes wide, “I-I mean- shit- uh.. sorry?”

He dares to look up a little and sees Sokka frozen in place, mouth slightly open in shock. “D-don’t apologize!” He stammers out, "Um, th-thanks."

Zuko laughs awkwardly and hears himself mumble something incoherent. "Your eyes are pretty too," Sokka blurts out suddenly and now it's _Zuko's_ turn to gape.

"O-oh," he mumbles, stunned.

Sokka, seeming to recover himself somewhat, sends him a wink that makes Zuko feel as if he'd been hit by a train.

He can't seem to do anything but stare at Sokka, mouth slightly open and mind wiped blank. After a moment, Sokka smirks at him and Zuko finally manages to tear his gaze away. He throws himself into fueling the balloon a little _too_ enthusiastically, but he needs _some_ sort of distraction.

"So... that was interesting," Sokka comments after a few minutes.

"Shut the fuck up," Zuko throws back, though there's no _real_ heat behind the words.

He doesn't dare turn to face Sokka, but he can hear the smirk in his voice as he says, "Alright, alright." Zuko can see him standing up and stretching out of the corner of his eye and watches him warily, as he comes closer.

"What?" Zuko snaps, when Sokka fans himself dramatically.

"Sorry, it's just _really_ hot right here," his voice has an odd inflection that Zuko doesn't quite understand.

Instead of trying to figure out what the _hell_ Sokka was saying, Zuko just says, "Then go to the edge and cool down."

Sokka's lip twitches and he shakes his head a little. "Sure, Zuko," he smiles a little, putting a hand on Zuko's shoulder for a second, before heading to the other side of the balloon and looking out over the endess expanse of sea. Zuko stands, frozen, looking blankly at the other's back, before turning back to the fuel tank and blasting more fire in. He's not sure _what_ ,exactly, about Sokka makes him react the way he does, but, whatever he might feel, he knows with a certainty that Sokka could _never_ feel the same way about him.


	4. Schedules

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hakoda’s with the gaang now and Sokka notices Zuko acting strange.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter’s angstier than the previous ones , but it’s too late now lmao

Look, it’s not like Sokka’s been paying so much attention to Zuko that he knows his schedule! It’s just that, um, he likes keeping track of, uh, okay, never mind. The point is, Sokka knows Zuko’s schedule (not in a creepy way!) and it’s very rigid, in that he always rises with the sun (his words, not Sokka’s), eats breakfast either alone, or with anyone who, uh, _happens_ to be awake. And okay, _really_ the point is, that Zuko tries to eat meals with the group, as much as possible. And ever since they’ve returned from Boiling Rock he _hasn’t_ been.

At first, Sokka had thought that he was just tired, but, after two days of Zuko actively avoiding group settings, he’s sure there’s something wrong. Apparently, Aang had noticed the same thing, because, on the third morning back from prison, the airbender shows up to breakfast, practically dragging Zuko after him.

“Just eat with us, Sifu Hotman,” the boy begs jokingly, sticking out his lip in a pout, “You can go back to your super secret, angsty meditating when we’re done, I promise.”

”It’s not secret, I just prefer to do it without annoying twelve year olds shouting the whole time,” Zuko fires back, though he’s clearly fighting a smile.

”You’re one to talk about shouting,” Katara snaps and Zuko flinches, the levity fading from his countenance.

”Hey, leave him alone Katara. You yell more than any of us,” Sokka points out.

”I do not!” Katara yells.

Toph and Aang both giggle, as Sokka smirks triumphantly. Zuko still looks tense, his gaze flicking back and forth between the Water Tribe siblings. “Alright, settle down you two,” Hakoda chuckles. If Sokka hadn’t been paying attention, he would have missed Zuko’s nearly imperceptible flinch at the man’s words.

Aang flops himself down next to Katara and Sokka waves Zuko over to sit by him. Zuko eyes Hakoda, who is sitting on Sokka’s other side, warily and, when he sits, his back is rigid and tense.

”What’s up with you, Sparky?” Toph asks, “You’ve been avoiding us lately.”

”What? N-no, I haven’t!” Zuko splutters.

”That was about as convincing as me pretending to be straight,” Toph replies flatly.

Zuko ducks his head and doesn’t respond, instead choosing to eat the breakfast Katara shoves at him in silence. The awkward silence drags on for an uncomfortably long time, until Sokka speaks up, unable to bear it anymore. “We should spar again sometime, Zuko,” he blurts out.

Zuko flushes crimson and stammers, “O-oh, right. We-we should definitely. Do, um, that.”

Katara looks between the two boys suspiciously and Sokka gives her, what he hopes is, a casual shrug. She glowers for a moment longer, but, ultimately, rolls her eyes and turns away. “I didn’t know you could use a non-bending weapon, Prince Zuko,” Hakoda comments.

Zuko’s head snaps up to meet the Chief’s gaze. “Oh, uh, yeah. I use twin dao, uh, Chief Hakoda, sir,” he stammers awkwardly.

”Please, just call me Hakoda,” the man says in a calming tone. Sokka hopes his dad realizes how uncomfortable Zuko clearly is, talking to him. Zuko nods once, tight and anxious, before dropping his gaze again. “I haven’t heard of very many benders proficient with weapons,” Hakoda adds and Sokka wonders if _this_ is how the others feel when he just won’t shut up.

”I, uh, had to learn b-because I’ve never been a very good bender,” Zuko mutters, refusing to make eye contact.

”You’re a really good bender, though?” Aang says incredulously. 

Zuko mutters something inaudible under his breath, but Sokka thinks he catches the words ‘ _father_ ’ and ‘ _weak_ ’. “I don’t know about _that_ ,” Katara rolls her eyes, “he _is_ the one who went ahead and lost his bending right when it was important.”

“It’s not like that was _his_ fault,” Sokka snaps back and Katara levels him with an impressive glare.

"Oh, I'm so sorry I insulted your _boyfriend_ , Sokka." All in all, it's a pretty childish comeback, but the effect it has on the two boys is remarkable.

Zuko goes bright red again, spluttering incomprehensibly and Sokka just gapes for a moment, before taking a deep breath, preparing to say something truly cutting. Before he gets the chance to speak, however, Hakoda cuts him off with a firm, slightly raised, voice, "Kids! Enough!"

Zuko flinches so hard he drops the bowl he had been eating from. He looks up like an antelope-deer caught in lantern light, staring at Hakoda with a wide eye and a pale face. "I apologize for startling you," the Chief tells him in a measured, slightly worried tone.

Zuko shakes his head wordlessly, looking more fearful than Sokka has ever seen him. "I-" Zuko's voice sounds dry and raspy, as he shakily gets to his feet. "I'm sorry," he whispers and, before anyone can stop him, or call him back, he flees. He's gone, before Sokka can truly wrap his mind around what is happening. 

Toph, voicing everyone's thoughts, simply says, "What the _fuck_ was that?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drop some kudos or a comment if ya’ll liked the chapter :)


	5. An Important Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sokka and Zuko have a discussion about something very important.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, if this one is a bit shorter than usual, it wasn’t coming out the way I wanted it to, so I decided that less is better than nothing lol

Zuko stares out into the abyss below him, much as he had on that first night spent with Sokka. He can still feel himself shaking, even as he berates himself for running. He left the others, he left _Sokka_ , with that angry _adult_ , just because he got _scared._ ”I’m a fucking _coward_ ,” he hisses quietly to himself, burying his face in his hands.

He attempts to calm his breathing, which is much too fast, but every time he begins to calm down, he thinks of how _stupid_ they were to let an adult, _a father_ , into their group. Zuko had been starting to feel comfortable, almost safe, here, in the seclusion of the Western Air Temple. But now, with such a danger so close, _too close_ , Zuko knows he’s barely going to be able to sleep, let alone feel _safe_.

"Zuko?" The voice makes him jump, whirling around. It's Sokka and Zuko's so relieved to see him there, and _unharmed_ , that he nearly cries.

"Sokka," Zuko breathes, standing and taking a step towards the other boy, "I'm- I'm sorry for running like that. I don't- I don't know why I did that. Are you o-okay?"

"Am I- Am _I_ okay? I'm _fine_! Zuko, you scared the shit out of me! It looked like you were about to pass out, or something. What the hell happened back there?" Sokka exclaims.

He looks concerned, but he _sounds_ angry and Zuko's not sure what that means. "I'm sorry," he rasps softly, staring at the ground between them, "I didn't- I didn't mean to-to cause any concern."

He hears Sokka sigh and flinches slightly on instinct. "Look, Zuko. I'm not _mad_ at you. Just- I've never seen you look that scared and it was kinda scary."

"Oh," Zuko says blankly, looking up slightly, “I’m... sorry?”

Sokka gives him a sad look at that, “What _happened_ , Zuko?”

Zuko swallows hard, considering, “Your-your dad... he was angry and it... startled... me.”

”Dad wasn’t mad,” Sokka says, a look of dawning comprehension on his face, “He just wanted Katara and I to stop arguing, that’s all.”

Zuko shakes his head, feeling sick to his stomach. “Why would he yell if he wasn’t mad?” He asks blankly.

”Zuko, even if he _was_ mad, you know he’d never hurt us, right?” Sokka asks urgently.

“I know that!” Zuko snaps defensively.

”You don’t have to lie to me,” Sokka says softly.

To his own mortification, Zuko feels frustrated tears begin to pool in his good eye. “I don’t _understand_ ,” he says, in a quietly desperate voice.

”I don’t think your father was very good to you, Zuko,” Sokka tells him, looking sad again.

”I know he wasn’t always the best parent, but he can’t be _that_ different from most fathers,” the firebender says, because he _knows_ Ozai did some things very, very wrong, but he can’t be so very different... can he?

Sokka pauses for a moment, “What- What did you think Dad was going to do?”

Zuko shrugs a little. “I dunno. He yelled for you two to stop arguing, but you were arguing about _me_ , so I didn’t know who he was mad at. I guess... I guess I was expecting him to hit one of us?” He admits softly.

Sokka looks horrified and he opens his mouth to backtrack, but, before he can, the Water Tribe boy starts speaking, “No! Dad would _never_ hit us, Zuko. Fuck...” he runs his hands through his hair, accidentally loosening his wolf tail a little in the process.

”I- are you mad?” Zuko asks, because he’s sick of not _knowing_.

”Yes!” Sokka growls, “But not at you!” He adds hastily, looking guilty, “No, I’m mad at your shitty fucking father. 

“Oh... why?”

”Because nobody should feel that afraid of someone, just because they’re a father,” Sokka says, looking both sad and angry.

“I don’t- I don’t mean to be,” Zuko tells him.

”I know you don’t,” Sokka says gently, “But it’s your dad’s fault that you are.”

Zuko blinks rapidly, in an effort to prevent more tears from falling, “Are you sure your dad’s not like... that?”

”Yeah. I _promise_ he won’t hurt any of us.”   
  
“D’you think I can, maybe, talk to him? Meet him properly?” Zuko asks, trying to infuse as much confidence as he can into the words.

”Of course,” Sokka smiles softly at him and, despite the circumstances, Zuko can feel himself flushing. Sokka holds his hand out to him and it takes a moment for Zuko to realize that he’s offering for Zuko to take it.

Zuko takes his hand with a small, nervous smile and allows Sokka to guide him back to their campsite. Maybe, he thinks, with Sokka’s reassurance and steady presence, he can learn to feel comfortable with Hakoda. Zuko’s not one to feel optimistic, but, somehow, the prospect seems a lot more possible than it did, even half an hour ago. Perhaps it’s because Sokka vouched for Hakoda and, Zuko suddenly realizes, he can say, without a doubt, that he trusts Sokka. Quietly, he hopes the feeling’s mutual.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t know if I’m happy with this chapter, but drop some kudos or a comment to let me know how you guys liked it :)


	6. Stubborn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko, with Sokka’s help, meets Hakoda properly.

When they arrive back at the campsite, most everyone looks up in concern and Sokka smiles thinly in return. Zuko’s sticking unusually close to his side, looking simultaneously scared and grimly protective, but he too attempts to smile at the others. Sokka startles, when the firebender actually speaks, “Chief Hakoda, sir? May I speak with you privately?”

Hakoda’s eyebrows raise, but he makes no other signs of surprise. “Certainly you can,” he says calmly, smiling a little, as he stands up.

Zuko falters a little, as he says, “Would it- would it be alright for Sokka to come with us?” Katara’s eyebrows shoot up and Sokka glares at her, hoping she won’t say anything. She rolls her eyes back at him, but, thankfully, stays silent.

Hakoda, too, looks surprised for a moment, but merely says, “Of course.”

Zuko takes the lead, leading the two Water Tribesmen to a secluded section of the temple. There’s a moment’s silence, before Zuko speaks again, “I, uh, I apologize for my behavior the last few days. I’ve been avoiding you and- and I’m sorry if I’ve been rude, sir.” Sokka can see Zuko twisting his hands together behind his back and his heart clenches a bit.

”There’s nothing to apologize for. I’ll be honest, I _do_ have my suspicions about _why_ you’ve been avoiding me and I don’t blame you for not wanting to interact with me,” Hakoda tells him.

Sokka shares a questioning glance with Zuko, who nods, jaw set, in a familiarly stubborn way. “I- I don’t have very good experiences with... fathers,” he begins slowly, not looking anyone in the eye, “but, I think that I can try to learn to trust you... eventually.”

Hakoda smiles gently, “I hope that, with time, you can see that I mean no harm to you, or any child.”

Zuko returns the smile shakily and, after a moment’s hesitation, holds a hand out for Hakoda to shake. “It’s nice to meet you, uh, properly I guess,” he mumbles awkwardly.

Hakoda takes Zuko’s hand and shakes it, his own smile growing, “It’s nice to meet you too, Zuko.” 

Sokka grins, impulsively throwing an arm around Zuko’s shoulders and squeezing. Zuko smiles back at him shyly, looking simultaneously drained and relieved. “We should probably get back to the others,” Zuko reminds him.

There is, thankfully, no other eventful moments that night, aside from Katara whispering, “So, how’s your boyfriend doing?” Sokka nearly chokes on his dinner and has to be rescued, by Toph, who slaps him on the back in order to clear his throat.

”What the _hell_ Katara?” Sokka hisses quietly and she simply bats her eyes innocently at him. Sokka pointedly does _not_ respond to _that_ and they spend the rest of the meal in a huffy silence.

—————

Later that night, when the others are all asleep, Sokka stumbles across Zuko wide awake and sitting on the edge of a large fountain.

"Hey," Sokka greets quietly, sitting down next to him.

"Hi," Zuko responds, with a slight smile.

"This- this might sound weird, or whatever," Sokka begins awkwardly, "but, uh, I'm proud of you, Zuko."

Zuko stares at him in surprise and, even by the faint light of the moon, Sokka can see his face flush. "Oh, th-thanks, Sokka," Zuko stammers.

"I know that can't have been easy for you to do; talking to him like that," Sokka continues softly, looking away, "but you're stubborn like that. Honestly, I really admire that about you."

Sokka turns to smile at Zuko, whose face is now beet red. "You're, uh, you're really nice," Zuko mumbles quietly, in that painfully earnest way of his, "I don't- I don't know _why_ you've been so nice to me. I don't deserve it, but I really do appreciate it."

"Zuko, of _course_ you deserve someone being nice to you. Sure, you've made some mistakes in the past, but I think you've more than made up for them," the Water Tribe boy says firmly.

"But I-" 

"You helped me save my dad _and_ Suki, Zuko," Sokka reminds him, "Besides, Aang forgave you too and he might seem naive, but he's actually pretty wise. If he trusts you, I trust you."

When Sokka pauses to take a breath, he sees that Zuko is staring at him with wide eyes. "Oh," he says shakily, "I- um, thanks."

On an impulse, Sokka grabs Zuko's hand and squeezes. Zuko flushes again, squeezing back tentatively. "Spirits, you're cute," Sokka tells him unthinkingly, eyes widening, as he realizes what he had just said. Sure, he's been not-so-subtly flirting with Zuko lately, but that had been much too obvious, even for someone as oblivious as Zuko.

Zuko looks as if he's about a second away from catching on fire and, indeed, his free hand is smoking a little. Unfortunately, the only thing that Sokka can think of, is how Spirits damned adorable it is.

"Honestly," Zuko says, swallowing, "I'm surprised that someone who looks as good as _you_ would say that."

It's Sokka's turn to gape, and gape he does, staring at Zuko in shock. Before he can second guess himself, he leans forward and kisses Zuko's cheek swiftly, "I'm- I'm going to go to bed now," he rambles, as he pulls back, panic flooding him, "Uh, good- goodnight!"

He makes a hasty retreat, but the last thing he sees is Zuko sitting there, looking stunned, yes, but also almost delighted. He tries not to let himself get his hopes up. He fails quite spectacularly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! I really like this chapter (the second part in particular) and I hope you all do too! Let me know how you liked it in the comments! I feel like I don't say enough that your comments give me life, but they absolutely do, lol, so thanks to everyone who's commented!


	7. A Little Oblivious

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sokka and Zuko have a bit of a talk.

In the end, it’s a while, until they’re able to talk about whatever the _hell_ Sokka did that night. Zuko’s awoken, with the _extremely_ calming sound of airships dropping bombs and, really? What the _fuck_ Azula? It’s a whirlwind of anger and terror from there, up until they find a place to camp out for a while. Then Katara yells at him and Zuko’s too focused on helping her, to even think about his stupid crush.

On the return from confronting the murderer of Katara’s mother, Zuko is quite startled, when Katara says, “So... you and Sokka, huh?”

”Wh-what are you talking about?” Zuko stammers, feeling himself turning red.

”Don’t think I haven’t noticed you two idiots,” she smirks at him over her shoulder, from where she’s steering Appa, “You two are ridiculously obvious, if I’m being honest.”

Zuko’s brain short circuits. ”Wait. You _two_? You mean he likes me too?”

Katara’s eyebrows raise disbelievingly, “You... really are oblivious, aren’t you?”

Zuko flushes, in a combination of embarrassment and irritation. “I- I mean, I think there might have been some hints, but it’s really fucking hard for me, to tell the difference between _friendship_ things and-and _more_ things. It's not like I have very much prior experience to work from!”

Katara’s expression softens, in a compassionate way that he’s never seen directed towards him before. He taps his fingers against the opposite wrist anxiously, feeling trapped under her gaze. “Well, yes,” Katara takes pity on him and looks away, “I can pretty confidently tell you that he likes you a _lot_.”

”Oh, that’s...good,” Zuko’s pretty sure his brain is still a bit numb.

Katara rolls her eyes at him, but drops the subject for the rest of the journey home.

—————

When they arrive back at the camp, Zuko is, honestly, shocked, when Katara pulls him into a tight hug. She tells him that she’s willing to forgive him and he’s stunned, but very pleased.

When she releases him, Sokka comes forward. “So. What did you end up doing?”

”I spared him,” Katara says quietly, “He was just pathetic. I couldn’t do it. And... I’m sorry... for what I said.”

Sokka suddenly tackles her in a hug and Zuko hears him murmur, “I’m proud of you, Katara.” Zuko smiles awkwardly, fiddling with his hands behind his back, as he makes to slip off quietly.

Before he can make it far, however, a blur of blue practically leaps on him. “Oh, uh, hi,” Zuko stutters, face turning red.

“Hi,” Sokka responds and Zuko can practically _feel_ him smirking.

“I hate you,” he mutters half-heartedly in response.

Sokka pulls back a little and, eyes twinkling, responds, “You _love_ me.” 

Zuko feels his face heat up and splutters unintelligibly in response. Taking a breath, he gets ahold of himself enough to ask, “Should we- should we talk?”

Something hesitant crosses Sokka’s face, for a moment, before he says, “Yeah, sure.”

They move off to a more private area, Zuko’s heart racing. They stare at each other for a moment, before speaking at the same time, “So, the other day-”

“Do you really-”

“Oh, sorry,” Sokka stammered, “G-go ahead.”

”Do you-” Zuko hesitates, twisting his fingers nervously, in the fabric of his shirt, “When you... did what you did, the other day... did you- did you mean it?”

”If you’re asking if I like you or not... I do. I like you a lot, Zuko,” Sokka’s voice isn’t hesitant, but it does sound very nervous.

”Oh, um, thanks,” Zuko feels his face flush with mortification, “Oh, that was really fucking supid. I’m so sorry. I-I meant, that I l-like you too. Oh Agni, I fucked it up, didn’t I?” Zuko buries his face in his hands, feeling quite willing to jump off the nearby cliff.

Sokka giggles a little, though it doesn’t sound even a little mean-spirited, “Zuko, buddy, you didn’t mess up anything.”

”Don’t call me _buddy_ ,” Zuko exclaims, lifting his face, to give Sokka an incredulous look, “We just told eachother we _liked_ eachother.”

Sokka smirks a little, “So what I’m hearing is that you aren't okay with me kissing you, since I called you buddy?”

”I never said that,” Zuko says, with a haste that is almost embarrassing. Sokka’s getting closer now and Zuko snaps his mouth shut, before he can say anything even more embarrassing.

Sokka’s lips are barely brushing Zuko's, when a voice calls, “Hey!” causing them to jump apart hastily. “Sparky! You came back and didn’t even say ' _hello_ '?” 

Zuko’s face flushes for, what feels like, the hundredth time that day. “H-hey, Toph,” he coughs awkwardly.

Toph’s eyes are narrowed, as she comes into view, “What are you dumbasses up to?

"Nothing!" Sokka squeaks out.

"Right," Toph says, dragging out the vowel, "Whatever. Come get some food. Aang and Suki and I tried our bests, but it kinda tastes like shit."

"Looking forward to trying it," Sokka grumbles sarcastically.

"Yes. Me, uh, me too," Zuko says stiffly.

Toph shakes her head fondly, "You two are hella stupid, did you know that?"

"Thanks, Toph," Sokka rolls his eyes. The two continue to argue playfully, as they make their way back to camp, but Zuko stays silent, mind much too preoccupied, with the memory of Sokka's lips on his, to speak.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um... hey guys! Sorry this chapter’s a bit late, the first week of school stressed me out a bit, but I’m back! I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! I’m honestly not great at writing romance, but lmk in the comments how you liked it!
> 
> Oh, and this might be a good time to mention that, in this universe, Suki and Sokka were only together very briefly and Mai and Zuko were fake-dating bc they're both hella gay.


	8. To Simply Exist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It ends where it began.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The previous chapter was a bit of flop lmao, so I hope you all like this one :)
> 
> EDIT: Guys, I'm so sorry! I just noticed that the ending was somehow deleted before I posted it, so this must have seemed really shitty. I'm hella upset, but it's fixed now, so enjoy.

Sokka’s noticed that Zuko _never_ sleeps well, but, tonight, Sokka’s heard Zuko wake up breathlessly on three separate occasions. To be perfectly fair, it’s not as if Sokka’s been doing too well with sleep. He’s felt more nervous than usual, upon arriving at Ember Island and, perhaps, this is what Zuko’s on edge about too.

Although, it _had_ been Zuko’s idea to come here and he had been oddly confident about the Fire Lord not visiting his own house. Whatever the reason for the firebender’s restlessness, he finally gets up and leaves the living room, where they had all wordlessly decided to sleep. None of them felt comfortable alone, after all this time.

Sokka, after a moment of indecision, slides out of his own blankets and quietly follows Zuko out of the house. When he finds him, Zuko’s standing on the beach and staring up at the moon, as if the answer to the world is hidden within her. Sokka is about to announce his presence, when Zuko begins to speak. Sokka freezes, feeling more than a bit like a stalker, but he can’t make himself move.

”I can’t do this anymore,” Zuko’s voice cracks, as he speaks, “I’m just so fucking _tired_.” It’s clear that his exhaustion is more than physical. There’s a pause and Sokka almost reveals himself, when Zuko begins _singing_. He’s very quiet and his voice is shaky, but it still sounds beautiful to Sokka.  
  


_“Leaves from the vine_

_Falling so slow_

_Like fragile, tiny shells_

_Drifting in the foam...”_

Zuko trails off there, shaking his head to himself. Wiping his eyes with the back of his hand, he curses quietly to himself, lowering himself, until he is seated upon the sand. Finally, Sokka really _does_ reveal himself. “Hey, Zuko,” Sokka tries to speak softy, but the firebender still jumps.

”Oh, h-hi,” Zuko waves awkwardly. 

”I can’t sleep either,” Sokka admits, sitting next to Zuko. He can see Zuko’s face turning red in the moonlight and is distinctly reminded that they haven’t yet been able to discuss their almost-kiss.

Now, however, doesn’t exactly seem the time to bring it up, as the firebender’s face is still wet with tears. “So... what’s up?” Sokka questions.

”I- I hate being back here, to be honest,” Zuko admits softly, “It just brings up a lot of bad memories, you know?”

“Yeah, I can see how it would,” Sokka nods, “You had a really shitty family.”

Zuko chuckles darkly, “Yeah. I did.”

Sokka pauses for a moment, before hesitantly saying, “I think- I think you have a better family now, though.”

Zuko is silent for a minute and Sokka’s about to apologize, terrified that he overstepped somehow, when the firebender nods. “Yeah. Yeah, I do.” He smiles at Sokka, almost cautiously, and the Water Tribe boy can’t help but grin back.

After another pause, Zuko asks, “What are _you_ doing awake?”

Sokka bites his lip nervously, “It’s- it’s not like I don’t trust you or- or anything like that, but I’ve just felt a bit on edge ever since we got here. How can we be sure that nobody else from your family is going to come here.”

Zuko sighs heavily, “My family hasn’t come here in almost 7 years, Sokka. Nobody’s coming. Not anymore.”

”What...” Sokka backtracks momentarily, “Feel free to tell me to fuck off, but... what _happened_ to your family, Zuko?”

Zuko, for a moment, looks as if he _does_ want to tell Sokka to fuck off, but, in the end, he just sighs again. “I don’t feel comfortable saying everything,” he pauses, looking at Sokka out of the corner of his eye, almost nervously.

”That’s fine!” Sokka hurries to assure, “Only tell me whatever you’re comfortable with.”

Zuko relaxes a bit and shrugs, “It- it’s more complicated than this, but, basically, my cousin died, my grandfather died, and my mom left within two weeks. Pretty much everything just fell apart. Not that- not that my family was _great_ before that, but we were better. At least I think so.” He sounds horribly hesitant, as he trails off.

“I’m sorry,” Sokka says softly.

”It’s fine,” Zuko flashes him a smile that looks more like a grimace, “I’m- well, I’m not over it, but I’ve accepted it now.”

Sokka nods, “Yeah... it took me a long time to be okay after my mom died, but I kind of... _had_ to be, you know? The hardest thing for me to accept is that I really don’t remember her anymore. Not really. I remember some _feelings_ and- and maybe her voice, but that’s pretty much it.” It’s Sokka’s turn to grimace.

Zuko, without looking, reaches down and takes Sokka’s hand, squeezing slightly. Sokka squeezes back. “I don’t really remember my cousin. I loved him a lot and I think- no, I _know_ he loved me too, but sometimes I feel guilty for not remembering him well.”

”Yeah... it makes it hard to talk to Katara about our mom. She’s younger than me and she remembers her so _well_ ,” Sokka hesitstes, before admitting quietly, “Sometimes I feel like maybe I didn’t care about her enough. Sometimes I think that maybe I’m a bad son.”

“You _did_ care enough,” Zuko says immediately, “You care about _everyone_ , Sokka. You’re so kind and understanding and just... _good_. I’m not exactly good with parents, but I know that any good one would be proud to have you as a son.” He’s horribly red, by the time he’s done speaking, but he still looks resolute.

Zuko’s little speech is so sweet and heartfelt and genuine that Sokka can hardly help himself, when he kisses the other boy. And, if both of them spend their first kiss with tears in their eyes, than that’s their business.

When Sokka pulls away, Zuko is staring at him, eyes wide in surprise, but his mouth is curling into a shy smile that is ridiculously endearing. Sokka, being the wordsmith that he is, of course blurts out, “You’re not a bad kisser, buddy.”

Zuko’s smile drops, but his lips are twitching. “No. I’m not interacting with _that_.”

Sokka smirks, “And? What _would_ you interact with? ...babe?”

Zuko’s nose scrunches in mild disgust, “Ew. 0/10, I’m not a baby.”

”...honey?”

Zuko manages to have the audacity to _laugh_. “What are you? An 80 year old grandma?”

”Shut up,” Sokka rolls his eyes good-naturedly, no heat behind his words. “Sweetheart?”

Zuko actually _chokes_ , staring at him with wide eyes, and Sokka’s smirk returns in full force. “Good to know,” he teases, attempting to swallow his laughter.

”I hate you,” Zuko says.

"Do you _really_ , sweetheart?"

"Shut up," Zuko groans, cheeks red. Sokka _does_ shut up, for once in his life. 

They sit there, hand in hand, and stare up at the moon together. They both know that nothing's been fixed. Their worries and their anxieties are still lurking in the back of their minds and they _still_ have to fight a war.

But, for the moment, they feel calm and safe and happy. Their responsibilities will certainly be there tomorrow, but, for now, they allow the fear of the last few weeks, months, _years_ to be buried. They allow themselves a moment to be together and to be calm. They allow themselves a moment to simply exist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was HARD projecting, in the scene with Zuko talking to the moon tbh.
> 
> Fellas... is it gay to hold hands under the moonlight and talk through your childhood trauma with your homie?
> 
> Anyway... I hope you all liked the last chapter! This fic's had a longer run than any of my others and, for the most part, I'm pretty proud of it! I'm not quite sure if I like the ending, to be perfectly honest, but I think it's the best it's going to get. 
> 
> Let me know in the comments how you liked the chapter! Thank you all for reading this story (which was originally going to be a one-shot, but here we are) and I'll see you all in the next one!


End file.
